Yesterday marked ten years for the Rantburg Defender-Scimitar & Times-Picayune. The first one was a pretty direct clone of the old Overseas Weekly. By the next day it had begun evolving toward its present form.

[NPR] The American Green Berets were seated around a long, plywood table at their base when they spotted the Taliban counterattack on their screens.

The burly Americans were working on computers, drinking coffee and munching on chips and peanut butter cookies. Their team leader answered an ever-ringing phone, giving his superiors updates on an Afghan commando mission in the mountains just north of Afghanistan's Kandahar Airfield.Put the chips and cookies away and you'll have time to have someone PUSH operational updates. The phone may then stop ringing.
The Green Berets could see the progress of the mission on a massive screen on the wall -- live video sent by an American drone. The Afghan commandos had opened fire on the Taliban, and they had fired back. An American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter sliced down to shred the defenders. Many scattered.

Then, the American troops here spotted about two dozen men -- black-and-white figures on their monitors -- carrying rifles and machine guns, moving along a dry riverbed, parallel to the Afghan commandos.

The American soldiers discussed how to respond: Was there an armed drone available to release a Hellfire missile? Or an AC-130 Spooky gunship on hand, with its heavy artillery?Fire Support planning is generally done prior to the operation. Just say'n.
But the Taliban answered the question on their own: when the men emerged from the woods, they had no weapons -- knowing that meant the Americans could not fire.

"Once we lose positive identification of the enemy, it is our policy not to strike, because our number-one concern is civilian casualties," said the Special Forces team leader. NPR was permitted to observe the operation under ground rules that included not identifying him by name.

#1
So, the area in the VIC of Kandahar Airfield is still not secure after fok'n how many years? Let me see, 2001 would be 15 years. I think we have a much larger problem in play here, but this is an NPR fluff piece, so I won't go into the details or discuss neighboring Pakistan.

#2
OK, the Americans won't fire on 'unarmed' Taliban - but what about the Afghan commandos they were supporting? Can't the GB direct the Afghans to them? And they wouldn't even need to worry about being counterattacked.

[ToloNews] Armed Taliban insurgents on Wednesday beheaded two passengers and left their bodies next to the road in Kunduz, officials said.

Military officials said that security forces are trying to release the remaining hostages.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Taliban stopped a number of buses on the Kunduz-Baghlan highway and abducted almost 200 passengers. After interrogating each passenger, insurgents shot and killed 10. Over 160 were released during the day and a further eight were released on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, at least 10 hostages were still being held by the Taliban.

Kunduz provincial council said the kidnapping showed that Kunduz is still a hot bed of Taliban activity. Civil society activists in Baghlan meanwhile put on a theater performance portraying Tuesday's tragic incident.

"Every day civilians are victims therefore we put on the show in order to find out what government's responsibilities are. Is government responsive to the people or not?" they asked.

Meanwhile residents in Kunduz raised concerns over the security of the province.

"The passengers cannot travel safely on the Baghlan-Kunduz highway or come to Kunduz or go to other provinces. The security is very bad," said one resident.

But security officials in Kunduz said they are doing everything possible to rescue the remaining hostages.

"Our operations are under way to rescue other hostages," said Masoum Hashimi, Kunduz's acting police chief.Video report at the link

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A heavy kaboom rocked Ghazni city earlier today after a group of Taliban jacket wallahs attacked the provincial court compound.

A local security official confirmed that four holy warriors attacked the Appellate Court of Ghazni and were all killed during a shootout with the Afghan cops.

The official further added that a policeman lost his life in the attack and the head of the court along with two other civilians were maimed.

Provincial police chief Gen. Aminullah Amarkhel confirmed that a police lost his life and the Appellate Court Chief along with two civilians were maimed.

The Taliban grabbed credit behind the incident and said a boom-mobileexploded near the court as a large number of police forces had gathered.

The attack on Ghazni court comes as the Taliban group vowed to target the judiciary institutions following the execution of 6 holy warriors over terror offences by the Afghan government earlier last month.

[ToloNews] Over 100 insurgents have been killed and 37 injured in clashes in the past three days in Helmand province, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Local officials said heavy clashes are still ongoing in parts of the province.

The provincial governor, Hayatullah Hayat, has however assured the people that the capital city Lashkargah will not collapse to the Taliban. According to him, security forces have cleared parts of the province of insurgents in their operations.

"In the past 72 hours, 180 insurgents were killed, 37 were injured and we have tried to prevent civilian casualties during operations," he said.

Meanwhile Helmand police said security forces are advancing against the insurgents and positive results are being seen.

Esmatullah Dawlatzai, regional police commander, said: "In this operation, we have cleared a number of villages of insurgents and we are moving forward. The Taliban insurgents are trying to hold on to their strongholds but are facing a fierce response from security forces."

Mohammad Karim Atal, head of the provincial council, has warned that if government neglects the situation, the province could collapse to the Taliban.

"If government and security forces fail to take action, Helmand could fall to the Taliban so we call on security forces to continue their operations and clear the province of insurgents."

Security forces have not however provided details on troop casualties during the operations.

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan cops have locked awayMaw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! two key leaders of the Taliban group in southern Helmand...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province of Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said "Yesterday evening, Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army conducted a joint security operation to clear some of the areas from turbans and enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan."

"The operation was conducted in Char Kocha Darbar village, Greshk District of southern Helmand province, as a result eight armed Taliban were killed and 11 other armed Taliban were arrested including two key commanders of armed Taliban named Mullah Janan and Mullah Ghami," a statement by MoI said.

The statement further added that the clearance operation still continues against armed Taliban in mentioned area.

The Talibs group has not commented regarding the report so far.

This comes as the Afghan Special Forces have been deployed to southern Helmand province amid intensifying festivities between the Taliban Lions of Islam and Afghan cops.

The Talibs launched coordinated attacks in Nad-e-Ali and Nahr-e-Saraj districts, erupting heavy festivities and at least 11 coppersbit the dust during the shootout.

[DAWN] GHAZNI: Taliban jacket wallahs wearing police uniforms raided a courthouse in the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni Wednesday, killing six people in what they said was Dire Revenge for last month's execution of Taliban-linked prisoners.

The assault comes a day after the Taliban killed 10 bus passengers and kidnapped dozens of others in northern Kunduz province, as the bandidos Lion of Islams step up their annual spring offensive after naming a new leader.

"One of the attackers detonated his boom jacket inside the compound and the three others were bumped off by police."

The interior ministry said five civilians and one policeman were killed in the 30-minute assault, which left bloodied corpses littered around the complex.

The Taliban said the attack was in retaliation for the execution of six Taliban-linked inmates in early May, which were approved as part of President Ashraf Ghani...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..'s new hardline policy against the Lion of Islams.

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A group of 7 Haqqani networksnuffies were nabbedYou have the right to remain silent... by the Afghan intelligence operatives as they were busy in terrorist activities.

The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS), said the snuffies were arrested during an operation conducted in Gardez city.

According to NDS, the group was involved in major terrorist attacks including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks in this province.

The anti-government armed myrmidon groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

Haqqani network was formed in the late 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani...founder and still titular head of the Haqqani Network. Jalaluddin is old and tough and very crafty, one of the few Pashtun warlords who was worth spit.... The group is allied with al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban and cooperates with other terrorist organizations in the region.

The network is accused of staging numerous cross-border attacks from their base in North Wazoo, including the 19-hour siege at the US Embassy in Kabul...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... in September 2011.

A jacket wallah belonging to Haqqani terrorist network was rubbed out by the Afghan intelligence operatives before he manage to carry out an attack in Kabul city last week.

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least 8 soldiers of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces bit the dust in the latest counterterrorism operations that led to the killing of at least 40 Death Eaters.

"The Afghan National Army (ANA) forces are prepared for all kinds of devotion and with all force to maintain security and comfort for the people of Afghanistan," a statement by MoD said, adding that 8 Afghan soldiers were martyred during counter-terrorism operations against the internal and foreign terrorists.

The statement further added around 40 Death Eaters were killed and 18 others were maimed during the counterterrorism operations conducted in Kunar, Paktia, Paktika...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo..., Ghazni, Khost, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul, Herat...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns..., Farah, Baghlan, Balkh, Jawzjan, Kunduz and Helmand...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... provinces.

MoD in its statement further added that 15 of the Death Eaters were killed during the air and ground operations in Ziruk district of Paktika province and at least 11 others were killed in Shwali Kot district of Kandahar.

At least 6 Death Eaters were killed during the separate operations in Giru and Qarabagh districts of Ghazni proivnce and at least 9 others were maimed, MoD added.

In a separate operation at least 5 Death Eaters were killed and 8 others were maimed in Keshk-e-Kohna district of Herat province, MoD said, adding that 3 Death Eaters were killed and another Death Eater was injured in Greshk district of Helmand.

Another U.S. official told news hounds in Washington that the senior Shabaab turban is believed to have been killed in the attack.

"Da'ud was one of Shabaab's most senior military planners and served as a principal coordinator of (the group's) militia attacks in Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda," Cook told news hounds in San Diego.

The Shabaab -- a group fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Mogadishu -- has also vowed retribution against "Western crusaders" who it says are guilty of offenses against Muslims in Somalia.

[An Nahar] At least 10 people, including two lawmakers, were killed in a car bomb and gun attack Wednesday on a top hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu claimed by the al-Qaida-linked Shabaab group, medical and security sources said.

Around 40 others were injured in the assault on the central Ambassador Hotel, where Somali security forces continued to battle Shabaab fighters into the evening, around five hours after the attack began.

[An Nahar] Al-Qaeda's North African branch has claimed attacks in northern Mali that killed a Chinese U.N. peacekeeper and three civilians, the U.S.-based monitoring group SITE said Wednesday.

The attacks on Tuesday come days after five U.N. peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in central Mali, as concern grows over the future of the U.N.'s deadliest active mission.

"Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) reported that its al-Murabitoun battalion engaged in a clash with 'Crusader occupation forces'," referring to the U.N. mission in Mali, SITE said, adding that the jihadists called it an "epic battle".

AQIM said in a statement its fighters were "thrashing" the enemy.

Al-Murabitoun, led by one-eyed Algerian turban Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has grabbed credit for several spectacular and bloody attacks in sub-Saharan Africa.

One attack on a U.N. camp in the northern town of Gao on Tuesday killed a peacekeeper and seriously maimed three others, while a second armed attack on a U.N. de-mining unit killed two security guards and an international expert, the U.N. mission known by the acronym MINUSMA said.

At least 65 peacekeepers with the mission have been killed while on active service, while another four have died in "friendly fire" incidents, U.N. figures show.

An army unit rubbed out "eight terrorists" and seized guns and ammunition following an ambush east of Setif, 330km (205 miles) from the capital, according to a statement published on the ministry's website.

It said such operations reflect "a firm determination to overcome terrorist groups and multi-faceted organized crime."

The Algerian authorities apply the word "terrorist" to armed Islamists who have operated in the country since the early 1990s.

[Libya Herald] The Presidency Council headed by Faiez Serraj has set up a second operations room to fight the so-called Islamic state (IS). It will be responsible for action between Sirte and Ajdabiya. The new operations room is headed by Colonel Yusef Rajeb Ageela and has six other commanders in it.

Action west of Sirte is covered by the the Bunyan Marsous operations room set up by the Presidency Council four weeks ago.

The latest announcement, made yesterday, came as troops of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) commanded by Ibrahim Jedhran, claimed to have captured both Ben Jawad and Nufliya from IS.

It also came as Serraj and Ahmed Maetig, one of the five Presidnecy Council deputy leaders, conferred in Tripoli...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... with the mayor of Ajdabiya, Salem Jadhran, Ibrahim Jadhran’s brother.

Officially the separate meetings were about financial and other support for public services in Ajdabiya. However,it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... it has been reported that Salem was also acting on behalf of his brother to ensure military support for the PFG push against IS.

In its announcement, the Presidency said not only that all military forces in the Sirte-Ajdabiya area would be under the control of the operations room, it also prohibited any other military or paramilitary forces from combat operations in the area.

This is seen as a deliberate move against the Libya National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Hafter which has moved to take control of some of the oilfields in the region.

Despite claiming last month that it would attack Sirte, the LNA has not done so. In Benghazi, it is now being claimed that the it is holding back and has decided to let the PFG and the largely Misratan Bunyan Marsous forces west of Sirte bear the brunt of the fighting. The suggestion is that it will move in once they have defeated IS.

For its part, following the capture of Ben Jawad and Nufliya, the PFG is now heading towards Harawa, some 70 kilometres east of Sirte and seized by IS exactly a year ago.

The capture of Harawa would effectively hem in IS from the east and west of Sirte, although not from the south.

To the west, the Bunyan Marsous operations room says that it is now firmly in control of all the Khaleej power station, 20 kilometres west of Sirte, following heavy fighting there during the day. There was also fighting further south. According to the operations room, three of its soldiers were killed and ten maimed. It also reported eight air strikes on IS forces.

[An Nahar] A Saudi court on Wednesday sentenced to death 14 people convicted of taking part in deadly unrest in a Shiite-populated region of the predominantly Sunni kingdom, a local daily reported.

Al-Riyadh said the 14 were among 24 "accused of killing security personnel and robbing passers-by in Awamiya," a Shiite town in the Eastern Province.

One of the defendants was acquitted and the other nine were enjuggedI ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! for between three and 15 years, Al-Riyadh said on its website, without giving further details.

Awamiya, a town of about 30,000, has been the scene of repeated incidents since 2011 when protests began among Shiites and later developed into a call for equality in the kingdom.

The minority Shiite community has long complained of marginalization.

Hundreds were tossed in the calabooseYez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in a crackdown after the initial protests, according to Amnesia Amnesty International.

[Dhaka Tribune] A suspected robber was killed in a crossfire between his associates and police at Amanatganj Bazaar of Baliatali village, Muladi cop shoppe of Barisal district in the early hours of yesterday.

No doubt that can be found on a map, though one would pretty much already need to know where it is.

The victim, Salim Howlader, 40, is the son of late Habibir Rahman of Safipur union under Muladi upazila of the district and leader of Salim Bahini,

...more or less translates as "Salim's Brigade", though now the guys will have to come up with a new name...

a notorious robbery gang.

Locally notorious, at least.

The police in their search recovered two pipe guns, six rounds of ammunition and two machetes, said Muladi cop shoppe officer in-charge (OC) Matiur Rahman.

Golly. They're going to have get another vault for the evidence room.

How close is a 'pipe gun' to a genuine 'shutter gun'?

Salim was accused in 11 cases including 4 murders at Muladi in the last two years.

Wanted on twelve planets, he is, for mopery and dopery on the spaceways.

Two months ago he killed Ripon Hawladar in the daytime at Muladi and went into hiding, the OC said.

His mother still loved him, even if everyone else was mad.

The law enforcement team, with Salim accompanying them, was attacked by Salim’s armed associates who tried to snatch him back from the police,

[An Nahar] A military court in southern Russia on Wednesday held the first full hearing in the trial of four Crimean Tatars accused of joining a radical Islamist group.

Armed officers from Russia's FSB security service detained the men in raids on homes in the Crimean town of Bakhchysaray on May 12.

The Russian authorities have cracked down on the Crimean Tatars since annexing the Black Sea peninsula in 2014 in a move opposed by the most of the indigenous Muslim community who were deported to the region under Stalin.

The investigation found "all four of the defendants took part in the activities of the terrorist organization Hizbut Tahrir...an al-Qaeda recruiting organization banned in most countries. It calls for the reestablishment of the Caliphate... until they were detained by FSB (security service) officers," the court said in a statement.

Hizbut Tahrir (Party of Liberation) seeks to establish a pan-Islamic state called a caliphate. The group is not illegal in Ukraine, but has been banned in Russia since 2003.

One of the men faces up to 20 years in jail as the organiser of a "terrorist cell", while the others could serve 10 years as participants.

At the hearing in the city of Rostov-on-Don, the men pleaded their innocence, lawyer Oksana Zheleznyak told AFP.

"Our defendants do not acknowledge guilt in the crimes they are accused of," she said.

The men "distributed propaganda among the public and incited the populace to take part in the group's activities," court spokeswoman Alyona Katkalo told AFP.

[AnNahar] Ukraine said on Wednesday it had detained two Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... fighters from Syria who were trying to cross into western Europe in order to stage new attacks.

The SBU national security service said the cell was uncovered in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv -- an industrial hub controlled by Kiev throughout the ex-Soviet republic's 25-month separatist war.

"The Kharkiv national security service of Ukraine has uncovered an attempt to send supporters of the Islamic State international terrorist organization from Syria by transit through Ukraine to western European states," the SBU said in a statement.

"The organizer of this illegal transfer was a citizen of a neighboring country who is living unlawfully in Ukraine and is suspected by law enforcement officials of possible involvement in terrorist activity," SBU said.

A senior source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the suspect assisting the IS was a Russian national.

"Two of the Islamic State supporters detained in Kharkiv were Syrian nationals," SBU spokeswoman Olena Gitlyanska to AFP by telephone.

Ukraine's UNIAN news agency said the arrests were made at the end of last week.

It was not immediately clear which western European countries the IS members intended to attack.

- An IS 'transit point' -
The security service has reported the detention or expulsion of more than 30 Islamic State supporters from Ukraine since March.

SBU chief Vasyl Grytsak said on March 23 that 19 of the 25 IS suspects detained in a series of security sweeps were Russian nationals.

"IS members and supporters freely move across Russia and other post-Soviet states," the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Grytsak as saying at the time.

"They use Ukraine as a transit point," Grytsak added.

Russia's north Caucasus leaders and its neighbors in Central Asian have been clamping down on Islamists -- some of them linked to Afghanistan -- for years.

[An Nahar] Arsonists were most likely behind a huge blaze which burnt down a newly-built but still empty refugee center in northern Austria, police said on Wednesday.

The huge fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday in the village of Altenfelden and left only charred remains of the building.

No one was harmed in the blaze, which was battled by up to 200 firemen.

"We found two sources along the building's outer walls... where unknown suspects are thought to have started the fire," police said in a statement, adding that investigations were ongoing.

The alleged attack happened two weeks before 48 asylum-seekers were due to move in.

The Red Thingy, which operates the center, said it was "shocked."

"We will nevertheless carry out our duty to aid people looking for help and will seek out discussion with the regional authorities in the coming days to rebuild the center as soon as possible," Red Thingy president Walter Aichinger said.

The organization estimates the damages to be around 300,000 euros ($335,000).

"We have no indications at all that people in the village were at all unhappy," Red Thingyfront man Stefan Neubauer told AFP.

[DAWN] LAHORE: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested two alleged ‘facilitators’ of a banned outfit from Lahore but, in a surprise move, booked them and their three accomplices in a high-profile terrorism case in Bahawalpur.

During its investigation into the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park suicide blast, the CTD arrested suspect Usman Arif from Nizam Block (adjacent to the park), Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore, and recovered from him a 9-MM pistol.

On his pointation, the CTD arrested his accomplice Hameed Bhai from his residence in Azam Garden, Multan Road.
Continued on Page 49

[DAWN] LAHORE: A property dealer who had been pursuing litigation in the Lahore High Court against a religious organization’s self-styled ’Shariat Court’ was briefly kidnapped, intoxicated and threatened by two faceless myrmidons on his way to the court on Tuesday.

"I was heading to the high court on my cycle of violence when two bearded men intercepted me near Samanabad’s first roundabout. One of them took control of the bike, while the other sat behind me before heading towards Miani Sahib graveyard," Khalid Saeed told this scribe in a weak voice, lying on a bed of Services Hospital’s emergency ward, with blood marks on his clothes.

A ’Shariat Court’ established by Jamatud Dawa (JuD) had summoned Mr Saeed on the ’complaint’ of his former partner in a property business, alleging misappropriation of his investment. Saeed had filed a writ petition in the LHC against the summons issued to him by the JuD ’court’.

The court had heard the petition and directed provincial home secretary to look into the matter and decide it strictly in accordance with law after hearing version of the petitioner.

Mr Saeed filed an intra-court appeal against the order that was fixed for hearing before a division bench on Tuesday.

However,denial ain't just a river in Egypt... his counsel Advocate Maqbool Sheikh sought a short adjournment from the bench due to the incident.

Mr Saeed said the kidnappers forced him to drink a glass of juice before throwing him near the Ghazi Ilamuddin’s shrine in semi-conscious state.

"I could only called a friend for help before passing out," Mr Saeed said, adding the duo kept threatening him of dire consequences if he did not withdraw the cases and reconcile the matter.

He was later shifted to the Services Hospital where doctors treated him in emergency ward. "We have washed his (Saeed’s) stomach and sent the samples of the retrieved fluid to laboratory for a detailed examination," a doctor in the emergency ward said.

Personnel from the police-post at the hospital visited the victim and reported the incident to cop shoppe concerned.

Later a sub-inspector from Lyyton Road cop shoppe visited Saeed at the hospital and recorded his statement. He told the victim that the first information report (FIR) of the incident would be lodged after issuance of laboratory report of the sample.

Lahore DIG (operations) Dr Haider Ashraf said he was not aware of the incident yet and sought time for his official response. Later calls made to his mobile phone remained unanswered.

The Qazi (judge) of "Dar-ul-Qaza Sharia" established by the religious organization had summoned Mr Saeed to it’s headquarters at Chauburji to defend himself against the allegations leveled in the complaint. However,denial ain't just a river in Egypt... the property dealer never obeyed the ’order’ and instead approached the LHC for remedy.

The organization had denied establishing any court, saying it offered arbitration only and resolved disputes in the light of Shariah.

It argues that offering arbitration to disputing parties was not illegal.

[ARA News] DUHOK – Kurdish forces of the Peshmerga on Wednesday repelled an offensive by militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) near the Wane district in the northern countryside of Mosul, military sources reported.

“Two suicide bombers from ISIS have tried to infiltrate into a security zone for the Peshmerga in the Kafraj village of Wane district north of Mosul. The suicide bombers were trying to detonate their explosive belts among the Peshmergas, but our fighters at the Kafraj security checkpoint shot them dead before they reach their target,” Peshmerga officer Izzadin Wanki told ARA News.

The official said that another group of ISIS fighters were heading to the Wane area coming from Mosul city, in a bid to storm Peshmerga headquarters there.

“The terror group had planned the suicide bombings to open the road for its jihadi fighters to storm the Peshmerga positions. However, fierce clashes took place and continued until Wednesday midnight. The group was eventually forced to withdraw after losing over ten fighters,” Wanki told ARA News.

Two Peshmerga fighters were reported dead and five others injured in Wednesday’s clashes.

More than 250 families still live in the Kafraj village north of Mosul, which has been recently regained by the Kurdish Peshmerga from ISIS.

Speaking to ARA News, head of Nineveh media centre Raafat al-Zarari said that civilians in Kafraj and other villages of Mosul countryside are stranded within increasingly dangerous zones amid continues clashes between ISIS on the one hand and the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi government forces on the other hand.

“Many civilians who had escaped Mosul city are now stranded in those villages, unable to move due to the mounting violence in the area,” Zarari said.

(IraqiNews.com) Kirkuk – On Wednesday, Asayish Directorate in Kirkuk Province announced, that 63 wanted people had been arrested, including members of the so-called ISIS in different areas in the province.

The directorate spokesman Captain, Farhad Hama Ali, said in a press statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Last month, Kirkuk Asayish Directorate managed to arrest 63 wanted people, including members of the so-called ISIS in different areas in Kirkuk.”

Ali added, “These people were arrested based on accurate intelligence information.”

(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A source in Nineveh Liberation Operations Command announced on Wednesday, that the security forces killed 50 ISIS fighters after repelling their attack south of Mosul (405 km north of Baghdad).

The source said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “This morning the joint security forces were able to repel ISIS attack on the villages of Kabrouk, al-Naser, al-Mahana and Khrbirdan in Makhmur District (80 km south of Mosul), killing 50 ISIS fighters.”

The source, who asked anonymity, added, “The security forces were able to repel the attack without suffering any losses.”

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Wednesday, a source in Anbar Operations Command announced, that the so-called ISIS has attacked Kabisa vicinity west of Ramadi from two axes, while emphasized that the joint forces have killed four ISIS suicide bombers.

The source, who asked anonymity, added, “ISIS fighters attacked the entrances of Kabisa after the security forces foiled the suicide bombers’ attack,” pointing out that, “The clashes are still ongoing between the security forces and ISIS fighters.”

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Wednesday the Leadership of al-Hashed al-Shaabi announced, that the security forces besieged al-Saqlawiyah District from three sides, while indicated that the forces are preparing to storm the district, in order to liberate it from the ISIS control.

The Leadership of al-Hashed al-Shaabi said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, “The forces from al-Hashed al-Shaabi surrounded al-Saqlawiyah District north of Fallujah from three sides.”

The statement added, “Al-Hashed al-Shaabi forces are preparing to storm the center of the district in order to liberate it from the control of ISIS terrorist.”

Yesterday, Federal Police Command announced liberating al-Shuhada neighborhood in al-Saqlawiyah north of Fallujah (62 km west of Baghdad) from the ISIS control.

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Wednesday, Baghdad Operations Command announced raising the Iraqi flag over al-Saqlawiya Bridge north of Fallujah.

Baghdad Operations Command said in a press statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Today the army’s 14th and 6th brigades managed to raise the Iraqi flag over al-Saqlawiya Bridge.”

Yesterday, Federal Police Chief Raed Shaker Jawdat announced, that the Iraqi forces had liberated al-Shuhada neighborhood in al-Saqlawiya vicinity, while pointed out that the security force are besieging the vicinity from two axes.

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – On Wednesday, a source in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced, that ten people had been either killed or wounded in a bomb blast in northern Baghdad.

The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “This morning, a bomb exploded near shops in the district of Tarmiya in northern Baghdad, killing one person and wounding nine others.”

The source, who asked anonymity, added, “Ambulances rushed to the area and evacuated the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment and the dead body to the forensic medicine department, while the security force cordoned off the area of the incident and barred approaching it.”

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – A source in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday, that 11 people had been either killed or wounded in a bomb blast in southern Baghdad.

The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “A bomb exploded, on Thursday evening, near a popular playground in al-Khansa village in Madain District in southern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding nine others.”

The source, who asked anonymity, added, “Ambulances rushed to the area and transferred the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment and the dead bodies to the forensic medicine department, while the security force cordoned off the area of the incident and barred approaching it.”

[IsraelTimes] Bassam al-Safadi, a Druze resident of the Golan Heights, to remain in police custody until Sunday

A journalist for an Iranian news outlet was tossed in the calabooseDrop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! in northern Israel on Wednesday for incitement and supporting terror groups, police said.

Bassam al-Safadi, a 43-year-old resident of the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, has been accused of "publishing statements in support of terror groups and incitement to violence or terror," a police spokesperson said.

Safadi is a news hound for Iran’s al-Alam news network, which draws its funding from the state-run Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran Broadcasting company.

On its website, the television channel claimed Safadi was arrested for "no reason," saying it was likely linked to a report in which he alleged that Israel was "stealing" oil on the Golan Heights -- a reference to Israeli exploratory drilling in the Israeli-controlled side of the plateau, which is captured from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War.

According to the Iranian outlet, Safadi’s laptop and camera were also confiscated during his arrest on Wednesday morning.

Majdal Shams is one of the largest Druze communities in Israel. Though the town was formally annexed by Israel in the 1970s, many living there continue to support the Assad regime in Syria.

Many Majdal Shams residents have refused to accept Israeli citizenship; however, Safadi is not one of them, police said.

In 2009, two other news hounds for al-Alam were arrested by Israel. Reporter Khodr Shahine and his assistant, Mohammed Sarhan, were sentenced to two months in prison for publishing information about troop movements during a 2008-2009 military operation in Gazoo that had been censored by the Israel Defense Forces.

On Wednesday, Safadi was brought before a Nazareth District Court, where it was decided that he will remain in police custody until Sunday.

[IsraelTimes] A Paleostinian man from the southern Gazoo Strip who managed to cross into Israel was locked awayDrop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! by IDF soldiers overnight Tuesday-Wednesday. A knife was found in his possession, the military said. He was transferred for interrogation, Army Radio reported.

[ARA News] KOBANE – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday launched an operation to capture Manbij and it’s countryside from the extremist group of Islamic State (ISIS). The newly established city council of Manbij released a statement on Wednesday suggesting that the liberation is near.

“To our resistant people in the city of Manbij, we and by the name of the city council of Manbij and its countryside, we appeal to our people inside the city who are fleeing from the city, and we say to you: you are the sons of this country, don’t leave your city, the mercenaries [ISIS] that came from all over the world should leave,” said the council, which was established in early April under the sponsorship of the SDF.

“We are coming to you and liberation is near, our hero’s [SDF] are very nearby Manbij to liberate our people from the persecution of the mercenary groups and we promise you that we will turn the black page that we lived for years, and God willing we build hand by hand the good future of our city,” the statement said.

Speaking to ARA News, Washington-based Middle East researcher at the Centre for a New American Security Nicholas Heras said: “The messaging in this statement is a clear rebuttal to ISIS’ narrative that the SDF army that is gathering to seize Manbij is a bloodthirsty, godless PKK occupation force.”

“The Manbij council’s statement wants to reassure the local population that it has a plan in place that will be able to distinguish the real occupiers, i.e. ISIS, from the true local residents of Manbij who are suffering under ISIS,” he said.

“The messaging is positive and focuses on building a better future after ISIS, and it seeks to convince the local population that the Manbij council is competent and has a strategy in place to govern effectively post-ISIS,” Heras added.

A spokesman for the US-led coalition, which backs the SDF in its war on ISIS, told ARA News in an earlier interview that for the US “it’s critical that the ISIS-held Manbij pocket of 98-kilometers” is seized from the radical group.

“As to why the Manbij pocket is important, it represents a major border crossing point where foreign fighters can cross into Syria from Turkey,” said Colonel Christopher Garver, a spokesperson for the US-led coalition against the Islamic State.

[An Nahar] At least 42 civilians including five children were killed in regime, Russian and U.S.-led coalition air strikes in northern Syria on Wednesday, a monitor said.

Regime air strikes killed 15 civilians in Idlib province, while Russian and regime air strikes killed at least 11 civilians in neighboring Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Seven of those died in regime raids on a bus on the Castello road, a key supply route for the rebels out of the divided historic provincial capital of Aleppo city, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed a further six civilians in Aleppo's Manbij town and 10 in Raqa city in the province of the same name, both held by the Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... jihadist group, he said.

The international coalition fighting IS on Wednesday said it had conducted 18 air strikes near Manbij, which is located some 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of the Euphrates river.

[IsraelTimes] An Islamic State-affiliated news agency says US-led aircraft have bombed several key bridges in northern Syria, severing an important IS supply route between the Turkish border and Manbij, where a US-backed and Kurdish-led force is advancing.

The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says coalition aircraft struck at least one bridge between Manbij and Jarablus, a town on the Turkish border under IS control.

(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A security source in Nineveh Province revealed on Wednesday, that the so-called ISIS has executed 13 officers belonging to the former Iraqi army in western the province, after refusing to join the organization activity.

The source said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Today, ISIS members executed 13 officers and members of the former Iraqi army in al-Ghazlani camp in western Nineveh, for refusing to join the organization.”

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added, “ISIS executed the former army members for refusing to collaborate with the organization in explosives and booby-trapping field.”

ISIS executes 6 cigarette vendors in MosulNo Big Tobacco lawsuits for you
[ARA News] ERBIL – Extremists of the Islamic State (ISIS) on Wednesday executed six men in the city of Mosul in Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh province for selling cigarettes, activists and eyewitnesses reported.

Smoking or selling cigarettes has been for years banned under the rule of the ISIS self-declared Caliphate in areas under the group’s control in Iraq and Syria. Those who violate ISIS regulations are exposed to brutal punishment, mostly public execution.

“The ISIS-led Islamic Police of Hisba arrested six men in Mosul on charges of selling cigarettes. They were then referred to the Sharia Court which ordered their immediate execution on Wednesday on charges of violating the rules imposed by their alleged Caliphate,” media activist Abdullah al-Malla told ARA News in Mosul.

The six men were publicly executed by firing squad in the Bursa square in central Mosul, eyewitnesses told ARA News.

“Hundreds of people witnessed the brutal execution. The victim’s corpses were then moved to the al-Tib al-Adli hospital in Mosul,” the source reported.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.